Too Strong A Desire
by Rachelle31
Summary: (Warning: Contains slight spoilers of Breaking Dawn Part 2) What if, instead of throwing the immortal child into the flame, Jane kept him? And what is this child was just a little bit different? Different enough to, just maybe, stay. But what will Aro say?


Too Strong A Desire

I didn't understand how people could change babies. They were so innocent, so young and cute, why would you change them into us, monsters? But it was becoming an epidemic, these immortal children, and they were disrupting the lives of people and vampires alike.

So now we had to intervene. Part of a town nearby had just been slaughtered when a five year old girl threw a tantrum. One of the guards who were out hunting saw it happening. They ran to us, and we flew into action.

When we made our way to the town, there was a group of about five to ten bodies on the ground, and a finally sated little red head nearby. Her maker- or mother, as all the women who changed them called themselves- had her in her lap and was crooning her.

Aro was swift to accuse the woman. "You changed an immortal child." The woman got up swiftly, put the child on her hip. The little girl stared at us with wonder. "We cannot let you live, not with this...creature destroying so much and taking the lives of so many. Give her to us." The woman tried to run, stupid thing. As if she could hide even if she got far enough away, which was an impossibility with the size of the guard. Alec and Felix caught her quickly, taking the child. She screamed, but they quickly tore her limb from limb. They lit a fire to destroy both the human's bodies and hers, and then, as Aro patted the little girls head, he turned toward the ever growing flames.

"Aro wait," I held out my hand as he lifted the child in the air. Cocking his head at me, he waited for me to finish. "Perhaps I could take the child." The little girls pursed her lips, and before Aro could open her mouth, she spoke, in a very spoiled voice.

"My name is Luciana." He looked down at her, patted her curls once more. However, he frowned at me and shook his head.

"You cannot Jane, and you know that. She will never learn, and cannot be taught, you _know_ that." Then he cast her into the flame. I let out a little gasp as I heard a high pitched wail that quickly subsided. My memories of being burned at the stake flashed before my eyes as I saw the little girl's body begin to burn. Without warning, I lunged at Aro, anger flashing from deep inside me, anger that I didn't know I had.

"You killed her! You killed a poor defenseless child you horrible blood thirsty-!" Felix and Demitri pulled me sharply away from the master, and he brushed at his cloak, then looked at me, eyes full of scorn and contempt. I silenced him before he could speak, turning on my pain as hard as it would go.

I'd never heard a man shriek that shrilly, nor seen a face contort in such a manner. Even when I put my humans in pain before a meal, did they do that. But then again I never turned it on this much, on anyone. Caius came over to me and slapped me, hard, across the face. Alec winced, but said nothing, only helping contain the fire as he had before. When I didn't stop, he landed a gut wrenching punch to my abdomen, and I fell, coughing for breath I didn't need. Then he grabbed my jaw and put his face inches from mine.

"You do _not_ do that, you ignorant girl. You KNOW that. You should die for what you just did, and I may kill you myself." Aro got up, shakily, from the ground, and came over to us. _If looks could kill_ came to mind.

"Let her go, brother. We'll deal with her when we get home." They look at each other for a moment before he released my jaw. I moved it, still able to feel the imprint of his hand, then slowly got up and joined the rest of the guard. They all kept their distance, except Alec, who walked beside me in the back, quietly, all the way home.

Caius and Aro are still steaming by the time we reach Volterra. If there's one thing (besides killing and eating humans) that vampires are good at, it's holding a grudge. And I, one of their most loyal members of the guard, just outright attacked Aro. Marcus has just been sighing a lot, even more than usually, and excuses himself to his chambers. The guard has been avoiding me like the third round of the Bubonic Plague that came 200 years earlier.

"Jane, come with me." Caius' voice was dripping with fury, and I detached myself from Alec's arm and followed him. Fear rose in my stomach as I realized we were heading toward the tower, which was, basically, a torture chamber. If a vampire committed a serious crime, they were brought here, tortured gruesomely, and killed however many days later. Torture devices were too easy to come across in the 1500's, although we had to modify them to work for vampires. The ones for humans were much too weak.

But when we modified them, great pain could be induced. We had our own version of Judas Cradle and Wheel, along with a Maiden of Nuremberg and Cat Paws. Instruments for disembowelment and other smaller means of torture sat on shelves around the room. It was horrific to be here, and not be the one inflicting but be the victim.

I knew I could try to use my powers, but also that I couldn't. If I did, it would only make this worse. If I used my power against them, I would be kicked out of the Volturi, and that was not something I wanted. Control was what they desired, control over everyone and control over me. Right now, as much as I hated them, they would have their precious control.

For the next four hours, nothing but my high pitched screams could be heard throughout the entire castle. I'd been burned at the stake and left to die, turned into a vampire, yet this must have been what they preached about in church. If I could die and got to Hell, this was surely what it felt like.

Aro came in at the end of four hours. Caius still wasn't done, and I was a broken, battered mess on the floor. He towered over me, and for the first time in my life, I cringed.

"Have you learned your lesson?" I nodded pitifully, and he grabbed my arm and pulled me up, dragging me out of the room. Caius protested briefly. "That's enough torture for one day, brother. She's learned, and if she hasn't, we'll repeat this, longer, again." I shuddered at the thought, and let him tow me away down the stairs and throw me into my chamber.

I liked my bedchamber. It was draped in dark purple velvet and had a crystal chandelier. I had a book shelf with plays and books on it, a desk for writing, a small dresser for clothes and a mirror. Drapes hung in front of the curtain, and glass doors led out onto my small private balcony. An oil painting hung above my bed, which had a canopy with its own set of drapes. The floor was stone like the rest of the castle, and a fireplace also occupied the room.

Right now, though, I collapsed onto the bed. Even though I couldn't bleed, my body felt as if it had been ripped to shreds, stitched together again, burned, and then been mauled by dogs and pecked by birds. I rolled myself into a little ball and slipped under the coverlet of my bed, dry sobbing at my own anguish.

Alec came in a few moments later. He politely knocked before entering, then came and sat on the bed with me. I reached for him and buried my head in his chest, crying dry rivers. He didn't say anything, just held me for a little while. My twin was my best comforter in the world.

"What on earth did they do to you Jane?" I pulled my face up from his shirt and searched his face, seeing if he really wanted an answer.

"Oh God Alec it was terrible. I mean, after everything, I thought..." I didn't want to whimper like a baby, but I broke down again. "It just hurt, so much more than anything I've ever been through before. And Caius' face the whole time... He could have passed for Satan, and I swear, for those four hours, if someone had told me I was dead and in Hell I would have believed them." He held me tighter and kissed the top of my head. It wasn't often his strong sister broke down like this, but when I did, he was always there.

"I'm sorry sister, I truly am. Please don't do it again, I can't bear to see you hurt so. I left, four hours ago, and just got back. I couldn't listen to your screams and not do anything. We went to the countryside and dealt with more immortal children. There are still more, though, and Aro is on the rampage about destroying all of them. I know you like children, Jane, but right now, as much as you don't like too..."

"I have to follow orders, I know. Trust me Alec," I burrowed into his shoulder, "I know." He kissed my forehead again and held me tighter.

Two weeks later we were on another mission. This town was a little farther than the other; Pontedera was an actual town away from Volterra, not just a small surrounding village. When we got there, a three year old boy stood in front of about fifteen dead bodies. I lifted the boy on my hip while Felix hunted the maker down and Alec and Demitri found the rest of the maker's family.

Aro gave her the speech, and they lit the corpses and woman on fire. I barely noticed that, though. The little boy on my hip clung to me like I was his mother. He seemed to understand that he had done wrong. I wiped the blood off his chin and patted his head, which was covered in beautiful blonde hair. He reached his hands up and put them on my cheeks.

"Me sowwy pretty..." He was apologizing! That was remarkable... Immortal children didn't do that. He continued to stare at me. I took one of his little hands between my fingers.

"I'm Jane sweetheart. Do you know your name?" He shook his head and rested his head on my shoulder. I patted his head and held him close to me. "I'll name you Julius." Aro cleared his throat at me. "He feels remorse, Aro." I shook Julius a little, and he turned his angelic face to me. "Tell Aro what you told me just now honey." I pointed at him, and he opened his little rosebud mouth. "I say me sowwy." Aro raised his eyebrows at that and came over to me.

"You may bring him back for one night, and we'll test him." I grinned and snuggled little Julius, and he held onto me. "But be warned, if he cannot be taught..." I nodded, barely listening, too happy that maybe this little angel could be taught, unlike all the others.

I carried him all the way back to the castle. He lulled peacefully against my side, and I entertained him on several intervals. Alec came over once and held him. The babe giggled at the faces I made and was as good as gold while we ran back home. He didn't cry or make an unhappy sound once. Everyone in our small party reacted in surprise that he seemed so quiet and well behaved. I beamed as only a mother could, and I had adopted him the minute we killed his creator.

Back at the castle, I kept him with me in my own bedroom. This baby seemed different than the others. Maybe if he'd been allowed to grow up, he would have been an official or philosopher, some sort of great mind, a genius. Maybe that was why he understood right and wrong, even at such a young age.

Aro came at first light, and found me with the baby, reading to him part of the 'Merchant of Venice', a recent play published by an Englishman called Shakespeare. I'd read a few of his other works, and hadn't been impressed with 'Romeo and Juliet', but liked 'Hamlet' a little bit better. Julius, though, was fascinated with this new play, and sat on my lap smiling.

"A remarkable child," he said, swishing through the doors without a knock. Julius looked up in surprise, curled into me, and I hugged him close, assuring him he didn't need to be afraid.

"I told you, Aro, the child is brilliant. He hasn't thrown a tantrum all night, even without any blood, and he's happy and content to be with me all the time. Besides, if he does ever get upset, we can take him somewhere where he can't hurt himself or anyone else." Slowly, I was convincing him, and eventually he nodded. Then, however, he held out his hands for the baby.

"You claim he felt remorse that first night. Let's prove it. Give him to me Jane." I raised my chin and put little Julius on my hip.

"Take his hand, Aro, and read his thoughts. But right now, while you're still not sure about his existence, I won't let you hold him." He smiled that evil, satisfied smile that was its own way of approval. He held my baby's hand, searched his thoughts, and smiled.

"This child is marvelous, able to learn and understand. Perhaps that's his gift. As long as he continues this Jane, you may keep him. What was it you named him?" I smiled at my child, rocking him on my hip.

"His name is Julius, Julius Marcellus Volturi." I gave him a middle name with just the right meaning- young warrior, is what his name meant in Latin. His first name meant youthful, also fitting. And of course his last name was that of our clan- Volturi. Aro smiled at the name.

"Very good Jane, now remember, teach your son well, but if he doesn't learn as you claim..." I nodded, and my baby put his hand on my cheek. I smiled at my perfect little angel.

"Honey, you get to stay with me for forever, and I'll be your mother and care for you." He gurgled and snuggled into my breast. I heard the sweetest sigh come out of him as got comfortable with me.

"Mama," was all he said, and my heart burst with joy and love. I hugged him tightly as he burrowed into me, and I kissed his head. My baby, my son, would be staying forever.


End file.
